The present invention relates to cardboard containers, and in particular, to containers adapted for shipping and displaying cut flowers or the like.
In the past, cut flower arrangements have been prepared for transport and display by wrapping the flower stems in soaked paper or cloth. The wrapped stems may be further encased in a plastic bag to prevent evaporative losses. This procedure is fairly laborious in that each of the flower bunches must be separately handled.
A further disadvantage of the above flower handling procedure is that, following shipping and handling, the flower arrangements must be unwrapped and made more attractive for display purposes. This not only adds to the time and expense involved, but increases the risk of damage to the flowers.
The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned problems by providing a simple, inexpensive container in which cut flowers may be shipped and attractively displayed. By this invention flower stems are kept moist by submersion in water held at the bottom of the container. Consequently, cut flower arrangements may be immediately placed in the water-bearing container without special preparation. The cut flowers are thus optimally fresh and unhandled.
To this end, the container of the present invention comprises a box partitioned by a lower divider into two lower compartments. A water-tight plastic bag is placed within the box, lining the inner walls of the box and the walls of the lower divider. An upper divider, placed within the plastic bag, and attached to the box crosswise of the lower divider, further partitions the box into four upright compartments, each for receiving one or more flower arrangements therein. A lid for covering the box during transport has a pair of openings coincident with openings in the box, the coincident openings forming container handles.
It is a principal object of this invention to provide a novel container for transporting and displaying cut flowers or the like.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a container adapted to hold water in its bottom region for keeping such flowers fresh during transport and display.
It is a specific object of the invention to provide a partitioned box having a plurality of upright compartments and a water-tight lining, whereby the bottom of the box may be filled with water.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a box which may be formed from a single sheet of cardboard, and made water-tight by insertion of a plastic liner therein.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will now be more fully described with reference to the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.